Joseph “Mpisi” Nduli, activist, political analyst, ANC organiser and UMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) commander, was born on 1 January 1940 in Mayakhulu, near Stanger. Nduli’s shy persona belied his bravery; an unselfish cadre, he dedicated his life to the cause of liberation.

He joined the ANC’s armed wing in 1961, and received training in Egypt, the former Soviet Union and Algeria. “We didn’t spend a lot of time with him as a family in exile,” said Nduli’s wife Sylvia. “However, we understood the situation and found innovative ways to spend quality time.

He was a great father and family man, who always put other people’s interests before his own.” A member of MK’s Luthuli Detachment, Nduli fought in Zimbabwe, before crossing the Limpopo into South Africa in 1967 during the Wankie/Sipolilo Campaign against combined Rhodesian and South African forces. The ANC later deployed him to Swaziland to recruit and train cadres for infilitration into South Africa.

In 1975 he was kidnapped by security forces on the Swaziland-South African border and sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island. “That was the most painful and difficult era of our life. I couldn’t attend his trial as I was a political refugee then. “My first visit to him in Robben Island was in 1989,” Sylvia said. The family returned to South Africa from Swaziland in 1991, a year after Nduli was released from Robben Island.

He was appointed Southern Natal Regional Organiser and the first chairman of the ANC Durban Central branch. He was later appointed organiser of the ANC Durban North region. Sylvia, also a renowned underground organiser, believes the past should not be forgotten. “We commend our Council for ensuring our beloved ones, who played a part in our liberation, no matter how small or big, are not forgotten. “We hope that someday those who still oppose this noble initiative will comprehend that a nation that respects and honours its past is a nation that prospers.” Nduli was assassinated in 1995, and his body dumped near his home in Avoca.

Curnick Ndlovu Highway (Formerly KwaMashu Highway)

Curnick Ndlovu was born in Matatiele in 1932. His parents moved to Durban’s uMkhumbane settlement in 1941. It was the squalid conditions there that prompted him to become involved in politics at the age of 20, in 1953, at the height of the Defiance Campaign.

A unifier, leader and nonracist, he fought for better living conditions in prison. He played a pivotal role in uniting political prisoners on Robben Island. He also recruited comrades from the Black Consciousness Movement, some of whom are prominent leaders in the ANC and government today. He worked with other prominent ANC leaders like Chief Albert Luthuli, Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, Moses Kotane, Govan Mbeki and Ruth First. Ndlovu died in 2002.

WEATHER

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